Malaysia GE: Parties make final push for votes ahead of Polling Day

IPOH - Malaysia’s three key coalitions made their final campaigning push on the eve of one of the tightest general elections in the country’s history.

The main contenders – ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) and opposition alliances Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) – had put their election machineries through their final paces this week.

Without a designated Cooling-off Day, PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim spent most of Friday in Tambun, Perak, where he is contesting a four-cornered fight, after moving away from the Port Dickson ward in Negeri Sembilan.

The opposition group’s prime minister candidate told The Straits Times that he was “happy to be back” in Tambun after his whirlwind national tour, even as his entourage navigated traffic and the rain on the specially declared public holiday.

“I am optimistic for tomorrow,” he said, when asked about PH’s chances to form the federal government.

A number of opinion polls have projected that his coalition has the lead over PN and BN, with no one group expected to claim a parliamentary majority on its own.

Earlier on Friday, Datuk Seri Anwar showed his prowess with a racket on the badminton courts during a morning walkabout to meet young athletes at X Park Sunway City in Tambun.

The former finance minister, who has pledged to fix Malaysia’s economy, showed little sign of fatigue after two gruelling weeks on the trail.

He campaigned late into the night, with a final address at Meow Garden in Tambun.

The open space next to the restaurant had a carnival atmosphere as music concerts and food trucks entertained attendees.

Mr Anwar made his appearance just before 10pm to address the nearly 7,000-strong crowd that turned up despite the Perak rain.

The previous night, rival coalition PN had managed a simultaneous finale themed “PN Best” of its own across six locations in Malaysia, that was live-streamed on the party leaders’ official Facebook pages.

These included Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Muhyiddin Yassin in Johor’s Pagoh, and Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia’s president Dominic Lau in Batu Kawan, Penang.

Speaking from Kemaman in the east coast state of Terengganu, PAS president Hadi Awang repeated his party’s stance of rejecting cooperation with “anti-Malay chauvinists”, in reference to PH’s Democratic Action Party, and the “corrupt”, referring to BN.

BN leaders, who have had their infighting and disunity scrutinised on a national scale, were relatively more subdued as they made their final walkabouts on Friday.

Umno president Zahid Hamidi, a major force behind the push for snap polls, met minority Chinese voters in his Bagan Datuk constituency where he has been MP since 1995.

Caretaker Health Minister and first-time Sungai Buloh candidate Khairy Jamaluddin found the time to have a midday chendol to cool down as he said that as candidates, they were “feeling the heat”.

Caretaker Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob also made his final appeal to the electorate of Pahang’s Bera, his stronghold ward, appealing for voters to accept Saturday’s outcome, no matter the result.

On Friday, Mr Anwar also hit back at Tan Sri Muhyiddin over his controversial claim on Thursday that it would be very “dangerous” for PH to return to power, as the coalition was working with a Jewish group to “Christianise” Malaysia.

PH leader Anwar dismissed the imputation, saying it revealed how “desperate” it was for his opponent to indicate the possibility of “Jewish and Christian” infiltration.

Mr Muhyiddin later said his statements were “completely taken out of context” and circulated by PN’s political opponents to “create a false narrative”.

He claimed his speech as a whole was intended to promote “fairness to all races and religions”.

Polling centres will be open in Sabah and Sarawak from 7.30am to 5.30pm, and from 8am to 6pm in Peninsular Malaysia on Saturday.